


The Naked Mind

by Demerite



Series: Trektober 2019 [9]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/F, Intoxication, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, The Virus from The Naked Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 08:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20963702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demerite/pseuds/Demerite
Summary: TheUSS Discoveryencounters a virus never before seen by Starfleet; a virus that lowers inhibitions and brings hidden personality traits and secrets to the surface.





	The Naked Mind

**Author's Note:**

> For the Day 10 Prompt: Secret Crush, and a blatant excuse for me to watch The Naked Time on repeat while writing (if you don't know what I'm talking about, I recommend [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M58aP5DtNqY) frankly hilarious TOS clip - just watch it, it's got Sulu chasing people with a sword, and the best Uhura line in the history of ever).

Captain Pike looked from Dr Culber, to Commander Burnham, to Commander Saru, and let out a sigh that somehow managed to convey confusion, exasperation, and a general sense of 'I'm done with this shit'. 

"Explain this." He said, "Please." 

Everyone started talking at once. 

"One at a time." Captain Pike clarified, holding up a hand to stem the tirade of explanations. 

Half-hidden behind Michael, Tilly was glad he hadn't noticed her, or at the very least wasn't paying her any attention. There was a _lot _of explaining to do, and even if it wasn't her fault; she had been there when the whole disaster started, and that was bad enough. Although technically, it wasn't anyone's _fault. _

"...we're still not entirely sure of the effects," Tilly tuned back in to hear Michael giving her report on the virus, "But early observations show heightened emotional states including agitation, aggression, and uh, overly affectionate behaviour to be among of symptoms of infection." She tilted her head towards Commander Stamets, who had spent the last twenty minutes since being brought to sickbay making increasingly overt attempts to grab Dr Culber's ass. He and Commander Reno had become so erratic they'd had to be sedated just so basic tests could be run. 

"For now, I'd recommend quarantining anyone showing signs of infection, until we can work out how this thing travels." Dr Culber was saying, "We don't know the full effects, and until an antidote of some sort can be isolated and synthesised, we can't assume that it's harmless." 

There was an uncomfortable muttering around the assembled group. 

Tilly was still struggling to reconcile that whatever had made Commander Stamets and Commander Reno's usual bickering exacerbate to actually throwing things with something that could be _dangerous. _She'd just assumed that one or both of them was in a peculiar mood. It wasn't unusual, and they were getting to the end of a long week, and staring at lines of code or bundles of wires all day was enough to make everyone a little nuts. Admittedly, usually they just insulted each other's faces, fields of work, skills, abilities, and intelligence, so she'd been a little surprised when the roll of duct tape had zoomed over her station and narrowly missed Stamets' head.

From there, the situation had devolved into more things - both objects and insults - being thrown, until Tilly and a couple of other engineers dived in to drag them apart from each other, and then to sickbay. Which was where they'd worked out that Reno and Stamets, and potentially everyone they'd had any physical contact with, had been exposed to some...well, they weren't actually sure what they'd been exposed to, or how it had got onto the ship, but it was making them act very strangely. They had also realised that it had already been transmitted to several of the engineers who had brought Stamets and Reno up from the engineering bay. Tilly wasn't sure how she herself had remained uninfected. 

"Right, let's try to contain this while we still can." Captain Pike announced, "Keep me informed." He added to Dr. Culber, and then he and Commander Saru left, presumably back to the Bridge. 

Tilly wasn't sure where she's supposed to go now. The engineering bay was quarantined, her superior officer was sedated and under medical supervision, and she was at a bit of a loss. She really wanted to follow Michael, actually. She didn't know what Michael's was doing today, she was probably on duty doing important science things, but surely she wouldn't mind if Tilly tagged along, right? 

"Ensign Tilly?" 

"What? Uh, I mean, yes?" She spun around, to see Dr Culber standing a couple of paces away, "Sorry." She blushes. _Damnit, why can't I pay attention! _

Dr Culber smiled at her, "I'm afraid we're going to have to run a few tests before you can leave." He explained, "Just to make sure you weren't exposed to whatever this is." 

"Oh, okay." Tilly glanced mournfully after Michael as she left sickbay, "Sure." 

She let Dr Culber escort her over to a biobed, and sat down on the edge of it. She wasn't really paying attention as he scanned her and asked her questions about what had happened in engineering. She was thinking about Michael. Where was she? What was she doing? Tilly had already decided she was going to go find her as soon as she was released from medical. She had some things she wanted to tell her, and it seemed important to get them off her chest as soon as possible. 

"Alright, Ensign." Dr Culber told her, "It shouldn't take long to get these results, and then we can make sure you're not infected and you'll be free to go." 

Tilly, however, had only heard the words 'free to go'. Great! She could go find Michael! 

Dr Culber turned away, wandering over to Commander Stamets to check on him, and Tilly took her chance. She slipped down from her own biobed, and walked quickly out of sickbay without a backwards glance to see if she was being followed. She had a goal in mind! She was Ensign Sylvia Tilly, and she was going to do this! 

In the turbolift, Tilly bounced excitedly from one foot to the other. She was going to the Bridge! More importantly, she was going to find _Michael! _She couldn't wait! 

The doors opened on the Bridge, and Tilly stepped out, looking over the crew in search of Michael. Her eyes drifted past Captain Pike and Commander Saru, deep in conversation, Agent Tyler who was lurking in the background, as usual, Detmer and Owo at their stations, front and centre, and finally came to rest on Michael, her head bent over the science officer's station, clearly hard at work. 

Tilly felt a smile break over her face. Michael was so cute when she concentrated like that! Tilly wanted to hug her. 

Unnoticed by anyone, she slipped across the back of the Bridge, focused only on getting to Michael. 

"Hey!" She said brightly, coming up behind Michael and wrapping her arms around her waist. 

Michael jumped, but that was okay, Tilly must have just startled her. She was getting very good at sneaking up on people, and Michael must have been concentrating so hard on her work to not realise Tilly was there. 

"Tilly!" Michael gasped, "What are you doing here? I thought Dr Culber wanted to run some more tests?" 

"He did, but I got bored and he said I was free to go, so I came to find you!" Tilly grinned, giving Michael an extra-tight squeeze. "I missed you." She added. 

Michael twisted out of Tilly's embrace, a concerned look on her face. At least, Tilly was pretty sure it was concerned. Or annoyed. No, it couldn't be annoyed. Michael never got annoyed at Tilly, even when there were plenty of reasons for her to. That was one of the reasons why Tilly loved her. Oh right! That was why she'd come to find Michael in the first place! She had to tell her that she loved her. 

"I love you!" Tilly blurted out, and the concerned look on Michael's face only deepened. "No really, I do!" Tilly insisted, because surely Michael believed her. She needed to make sure Michael understood this. "Like, not-as-just-a-friend love you, although you are also my friend, but this is different, and I know we haven't really known each other _that _long in the scheme of things but we've been through a lot together and I know you probably think I'm too young to know this sort of thing - I mean, my mother would certainly say I was - but I know how I feel about you, Michael!"

She paused to draw breath, and realised that the whole Bridge was staring at her. Why were they staring at her? It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong! She just hadn't been able to wait any longer to tell Michael how she felt, surely they could understand that?

"Michael?" Tilly asked, turning back to her friend, looking for reassurance. 

Michael looked stricken, her gaze darting back and forth between Tilly and the other occupants of the Bridge. 

Tilly didn't hear the turbolift doors opening, nor did she notice Dr Culber emerge from them. She didn't realise anything at all was happening behind her until he was at her side, pressing the cool tip of a hypo into the side of her neck. 

"Hey!" She sputtered, indignant. She tried to continue on with her vehement objection to being medicated without her consent in the middle of what was a Very Important Moment, but the world was starting to go a little fuzzy, and she felt like she was losing her balance. "I don't feel right..." Tilly admitted, crumpling forward into Michael's arms, unconscious. 

~*~

"Oh my god, what was I drinking last night?!" Tilly groaned, squeezing her eyes shut against the bright lights of her quarters. She felt like _crap. _She legitimately couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this hungover. 

"Dr Culber did say that might be a side-effect of the antidote." Said a warm, familiar voice from beside her ear. "Keep your eyes shut. Lights to twenty-five percent." 

After a breath, Tilly cautiously opened one eye, and on seeing that the room was much dimmer, the other. 

She was in her quarters, on top of her bed, still in uniform. Someone had removed her boots though, and taken her hair out of its ponytail. Sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of her bed, was Michael. 

Michael! There was something she was supposed to remember about Michael. Something she needed to say, no, something she _had _said, and - 

"Oh god." Tilly said, covering her face with both hands, the memories of her behaviour on the Bridge crashing back in. She'd...she'd run away from sickbay, broke onto the Bridge, and _confessed her love to Michael _in front of Captain Pike and the entire bridge crew. "Oh god." She repeated. "Why?" 

"You were under the effects of the virus." Michael's voice was calm, with a low current of amusement to it, "It lowers inhibitions and removes the inability to make reasonable decisions, almost as if you were drunk." She explained, "It also meant you had no brain-to-mouth filter." 

"Michael, I am _so sorry!" _Tilly jerked herself into an upright position, "I can't believe I did that to you!" She tried to stand, but Michael was abruptly right in front of her, a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down onto the bed. 

"Tilly, listen to me." She said, using that tone that made Tilly pay attention instantly because usually, it meant something was about to explode. 

Tilly gulped, nodded, looked into Michael's eyes. 

"You don't need to apologise." Michael told her, "You were affected by the virus and weren't in control of your actions. You said things you didn't mean, so did everyone else who was affected." 

"I _did _mean it though!" Tilly burst out, because she couldn't hold it back anymore. She couldn't live with having told Michael how she felt, only for Michael to brush it off as some viral byproduct or drunken ramblings. She _couldn't_ go back. 

Michael froze, eyes wide, looking at Tilly. She blinked once. "You meant it?" She asked. 

Tilly nodded, "All of it. Every word." 

Michael sighed softly.

"It's fine, it's really fine!" Tilly said, her words tripping over each other, "I know you're not interested in me like that and it's fine, but I'm not gonna lie to you about how I feel Michael and you don't have to do anything or say anything and if you want a new roommate that's fine too and-"

"_Tilly_." Michael cut off her rambling again. She looked nervous. "What I'm trying to say is," She dragged a hand back through her hair, "I like you too." 

Tilly's mind screeched to a halt. _I like you too. I like you too. I like you too. _"You do?" She whispered. 

"Yes!" Michael said, and there was laughter, joyous and bright, in her voice, and her eyes were shining. 

Tilly sprung into action. She leapt to her feet and reached for Michael, cupping her face in both hands and kissing her; clumsy and enthusiastic and perfect. Michael kissed back, her arms wrapping around Tilly's waist, her hands pressing into the small of her back, clinging to her with what felt like all of her strength. 

When she finally _had _to breathe, Tilly pulled back a little way, just far enough to rest her forehead against Michael's

"You okay?" Michael asked, a sort of soft smile on her face that Tilly immediately loved. 

"Yeah." Tilly whispered back, even though they were alone in the room, "Just thinking." 

"Good thinking?" 

"Yeah. Good thinking." 

**Author's Note:**

> Want to know more about Trektober? Click [HERE](https://aishahiwatari.tumblr.com/post/188059640163/trektober) for the info post on Aisha's tumblr, or [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Trektober2019) for the AO3 collection to read our fic. 
> 
> Come yell at me on [Tumblr](https://demerite.tumblr.com/)!


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